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Carlos Sainz Sr is in talks with both the Toyota and X-raid Mini teams about a 2019 Dakar deal following Peugeot’s withdrawal from cross-country rallying.
Sainz, 56, secured his second Dakar triumph in January in Peugeot’s swansong outing in the event, beating Toyota’s Nasser Al-Attiyah by 43 minutes.
The two-time World Rally champion has been weighing up his future options since, with moves to both the Toyota Gazoo Racing outfit and the X-raid Mini team a possibility for the 2019 Dakar.
Sainz tested both the Toyota Hilux 4×4 and the Mini John Cooper Works Buggy in Morocco in spring.
Both teams are said to have been impressed with Sainz’s performance, with a decision on whether to join one or the other – or retire from competition altogether – entirely down the Spaniard himself.
A Toyota spokesperson told Autosport: “Sainz was testing the Hilux in Morocco and the test was really positive.
“We keep talking and negotiating with him every week and we are waiting for a decision.”
Al-Attiyah and team-mates Giniel de Villiers and Bernhard ten Brinke scored six stage wins in the 2018 Dakar, only one fewer than Peugeot’s four-car squad.
Mini struggled with its trio of brand new JCW Buggies, with Mikko Hirvonen, Bryce Menzies and Yazeed Al-Rajhi all hitting trouble.
X-raid boss Sven Quandt declined to comment when contacted by Autosport about the prospect of Sainz joining the team.
The next major event on the cross-country rally calendar is July’s Silk Way Rally, where X-raid will be represented by Nani Roma – making his return to competition after sustaining head injuries on the Dakar – and Al-Rajhi.
Al-Attiyah spearheads the Overdrive Toyota team’s charge, joined by Polish driver Aron Domzala.